Theoretical aspects of public management of spatial planning at the local level

Problem setting. Decentralization reforms in Ukraine require a new way of looking at the implementation of public management mechanisms in the country as a whole. The challenges and opportunities arising during the reforms create a necessity for new mechanisms that can be applied at the local level of public management. Such necessities result primarily from the existing system of public management in the area of spatial planning, which currently focuses mainly on the state and regional level.

Recent research and publications analysis. In addition to the issues of urban planning, prominent domestic and foreign researchers have studied the mechanisms of public management, specifically in the context of spatial planning. In Ukraine, for instance, such research was conducted by S. Ovcharenko, O. Boyko-Boychuk, V. Mamonova and others. As for the foreign researchers, the most notable works on the subject belong to I. Barciz, K. Weisz, D. Norton, N. Manning, E. Nealy, L. Pal.

Despite the availability of dedicated research papers on this topic, we have identified a lack of a systematic and holistic approach for presenting public management mechanisms in the area of spatial planning at the local level.

Paper main body. Over the last few years, Ukraine has undergone significant changes in public management of urban planning, architecture and construction; a new concept of "spatial planning" is becoming increasingly common.

The research on public management mechanisms of spatial planning at the local level seeks to close the research gaps in the works of leading Ukrainian researchers in the areas of public management, economics, architecture and urban planning. It is important to identify and analyze existing mechanisms of public management, point out ways to improve them, or provide justification for implementing fundamentally new mechanisms of public management.

Sustainable development of territorial communities – the local-level elements of the administrative structure of Ukraine – is the key issue in the light of decentralization. We support the view of the leading Ukrainian and international researchers, who define spatial planning as one of the major aspects of creating conditions for sustainable development of territories.

We agree with researchers that the development of settlements is based upon specific human aspects, namely: urban planning, aesthetics, social psychology, etc. We support the view that under modern conditions, urban renewal takes place primarily due to the residents' mental reevaluation of their needs. The functions performed by the city acquire a new significance every day: the cultural development and leisure activities are becoming important.

The policy of urban and spatial planning at the governmental level in Ukraine is defined by the legal framework for the development of land use projects and urban planning projects. At the legislative level, the sectoral codes, memoranda and charters are used in the world practice to regulate management of sustainable development.

Conclusions of the research and prospects for further studies. Considering the decentralization reforms, the identification and development of public management mechanisms for spatial planning at the local level is extremely important. Especially, since all public management principles, which have been applied so far in this area, were aimed primarily at a higher level of management – state and regional. Peculiarities of public management at a local level, i.e. at the level of territorial community and settlement, require a profound investigation of existing approaches and development of individual approaches to the mechanisms of public management of spatial planning.

The research of theoretical aspects of public management of spatial planning at the local level in Ukraine is crucial and relevant; it requires further in-depth analysis and thus presents the authors with promising areas for research.